No One More Than Me
by HelloSweetie333
Summary: River is searching for the Doctor, who's gone into hiding after grieving the loss of her parents in The Angels Take Manhattan. Jack is drowning his sorrows after losing Ianto and has given up searching for anything. River and Jack meet and become fast friends on an adventure to find the mad man and his blue box. Jack/River friendship. minor River/11
1. Hello Sweetie

**Chapter 1: Hello, Sweetie **

River was pouring over her papers, trying to find some clue as to where the Doctor might have gone, much s she had done years earlier when she was looking for him the first time. The difference was that this time, she wasn't looking for him over a sense that she might need him for something. This time, she knew he needed her. He didn't deal well with goodbyes, but still he didn't normally shut himself away from the world like this. The loss of her parents had to be wearing hard on him, and she had to make sure that he was okay.

It wasn't that she wasn't grieving over the loss of her parents too. It wasn't like they were dead, but they might as well have been. After they were taken by the Angels she'd locked herself in her office at Luna University and just sobbed uncontrollably for several hours. She'd only managed to pull herself together when her boss had gone looking for her.

She knew, even then, that it would be worse for him. She had been without her parents for a very long time, and alone even longer. She was used to making her own way in the Universe. The Doctor, despite his amazing intellect and impressive skill, couldn't be alone. He needed someone to stop him from doing anything to dangerous and he needed someone to bounce his mad ideas off of. It couldn't always be her, but she felt that now, at least, it needed to be her.

She threw her papers aside in frustration. Why did the impossible man that she loved have to be so damn impossible to find! If only it were so simple as him answering the phone, but that was the first thing she'd tried. With all of time and space at his disposal, he could be absolutely anywhere. She went through a few of the infinite possibilities in her mind, but none of them fit for a depressed doctor.

She could find past versions of her love with any of his past companions, but it was the present version she needed to find. He was good at hiding, so she would have to make a grand gesture equivalent to vandalizing the oldest cliff face in the universe to get his attention. First though, she needed to stop off at a place she had a hunch about. Her hunches often ended up being worthwhile, since she had something of a sixth sense when it came to the Doctor. Perhaps it had something to do with her connection to the TARDIS, which was really the Doctor's only constant companion. Whatever it was she knew Gus' Intergalactic Bar in the early 51st century was exactly where she needed to go.

It was in her records that the Doctor had visited that establishment a few times, and maybe she could imagine him drowning his sorrows in a whole lot of alcohol (it's what she was tempted to do), but she didn't really expect to find him there. He would be somewhere much more hidden, and much more difficult to find. Yet something told her that's where she needed to be.

She had been meeting the Doctor out of order for as long as she'd known him, and she had never minded before. He was still the only man that she could ever fall in love with, and he would still be that man if she ever met him before he'd known her. This time, just this one time, she wanted their paths to cross in order. They both needed that after their loss. The Doctor had done such good for the Universe, that the universe owed him - no owed them both.

She looked into the mirror above her desk, ensuring that her hair and makeup was alright. She needed to look her best when she saw her husband again. She put on her vortex manipulator, double checking that she would wind up in the right place. It had nothing on TARDIS travel, but she would make do.

River paused for a moment, glancing at the request for her to lead an exhibition in a year's time at the universe's largest library. That was what she had told the Doctor the last time she'd seen him before Manhattan - the last time either of them were happy. He hadn't seemed too happy when she mentioned that either, now that she thought of it.

Just as she was about to leave she could have sworn she heard the infernal whirring sound that the TARDIS made. Sometimes she would stay up all night listening for that sound. How she missed her mad husband and his blue box.

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Jack had frequented this bar before, but generally in better times. He'd gone here to pick up an intergalactic date for some fun, to catch up with old friends and he had even brought Ianto here a few times. This time he was here to forget. He was going to get so mind blowingly drunk that he was going to forget his own name. With Ianto gone and not even death to escape to himself, he figured this was all that was left for them.

A few people, mostly men in uniform like himself, had tried to flirt with him and offered to buy him drinks. While he took the drinks, he told the guys that he was taken. It broke his heart to say it because of how much he wished it was true. He used to be much better at leaving the past in the past. It was the only way to live when you were never going to die. But over the past few years at Torchwood he'd gotten attached, and drinking was his numbing agent of choice.

He was on what the thought was his seventh drink, though the more he drank the more difficulty he had with things like counting. Ever since he had been brought back to life, he found it took him a lot longer to get drunk. The various species that were visiting the bar were starting to give him a large berth. He probably looked as pathetic as he felt.

"I wanna 'nother one sir please," he slurred, trying to think of nothing but that statement, The green skinned, horned bar tender from planets unknown didn't ask him what he wanted anymore. He just hand him his drink and went back to chatting with the other customers. The bar tender had tried making small talk with him when he'd ordered his first drink, but Jack had made it very clear that he wanted to be left alone.

"Cheers," he said to no one, taking a long sip of his drink. That's when he saw her, staring at him from across the bar. He didn't often take notice of women but she was definitely memorable. She wore tight jeans and a leather jacket, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the blaster gun she carried in a holster. She had wild curly blond hair that looked in his semi inebriated state like a halo around her head. But what he noticed most was that she walked in extremely confident, like she owned the place. Definitely not this bar's typical patron.

Just when he thought this woman couldn't be any stranger, instead of avoiding him like the rest of the bar had done, she sat in the stool right next to him. He realized that he was staring in not the most attractive manner, so he turned away.

"Your finest red wine sir," the woman said. This wasn't the kind of place people normally ordered red wine, and he couldn't help but notice the British accent which reminded him simultaneously of all the people he had grown close to the past few years. It was technically such a small fraction of his life, but it seemed like the only fraction that mattered.

The woman seemed very intent on her drink, until for some reason she turned and looked right at him. "You look familiar," she said, narrowing her piercing blue eyes at him. "Doctor River Song. Have we met?" She offered him her hand and he shook it, wondering why this woman thought she recognized him.

"I'd remember a girl as pretty as you," Jack said, flashing her his most flirtatious smile. "Hi, I'm Captain Jack Harkness." Even when he's miserable it's nice to know that he's still got it.

River Song's eyes widened at the name. "Why I think you know my husband," she said with a small laugh.

"I think I'd remember a husband as attractive as yours must be too," Jack said with a wink.

River laughed in earnest now, and jack was surprised by how much he liked the sound. "Oh he'd love to hear that," she said, sounding a little mischievous. "My husband is the Doctor."

Now it was Jack's turn to look shocked. He hadn't seen the Doctor since he was in this bar, not too long ago, and the Doctor had introduced him to Alonso. That was a lot of fun, to be sure, but he'd be a little disappointed that the Doctor hadn't come to say hello. He'd given up on ever seeing that magnificent man ever again. He worried that the Doctor was still avoiding him because of the whole immortality thing and he figured seeing the Doctor again would just be a happy bonus.

Still, it was nice to hear that the Doctor had found someone. Jack never thought the Doctor would have a wife, since he'd never married any of the dozens of companions he's had over the years, and he'd always seemed pretty hard to reach not unlike Jack himself. This River woman must be special for her to have won the Doctor's heart.

"I've missed that man," Jack said wistfully. "So how is he?"

River's face fell and Jack's heart leapt into his throat as he imagined all of the impossibly horrible scenarios that could have befallen the Doctor. "That's the problem," River said softly. "He's gone through a terrible loss and now I can't find him. I think he needs me."

Jack knew a thing or two about loss and the desire to hide himself from the world. But the Doctor always needed someone and if he had a wife, he still had people who needed him. He wasn't entirely sure if anyone could save him from himself, but that's what he wanted to do for the Doctor.

"I'm going to help you find him," Jack said standing up, still a little unsteady on his feet.

River smiled at him, "I was hoping you would say that."


	2. Geronimo and Allons-y

**Chapter 2: Geronimo and Allons-y **

_**Thanks to all the reviewers, and followers and favourites! I don't own anything but I wish I owned River Song. **_

Now that River had met Captain Jack, she understood why her husband had said they'd either be best friends or at each others' throats. They were just that much alike. She supposed that was what her gut was leading her to, but she had no idea how he could help, especially in his current state.

"So where to now Ms. Song?" He asked, stumbling towards the door.

She reached out to steady him before he fell. "That's Dr. Song," she replied with a wink. "Though you can call me River."

She helped him out of the bar, without the faintest idea about what they would do next. She knew the Doctor wouldn't be here. Even though he could technically be on any planet in the universe, she knew he would be on Earth. Especially after the loss of his home planet, but even before, the Doctor saw Earth as his adopted home. And why shouldn't he? He had done so much for the human race, and that was where he always found the companions he needed to keep him grounded.

It was true that she had narrowed it down to a single planet, but that was the easy part. He could be in any time period, but she also knew he'd be avoiding the late 20th and early 21st centuries. That's where he'd chosen all of his most recent companions from, and he'd be avoiding that time period as much as he could. She knew, from her husband's stories, that he hadn't seen Captain Jack in years. He wouldn't be much help, although her intuition must have taken her here for a reason.

The Doctor had touched so many lives that even if he had wanted to disappear, there had to have been someone who could help her find him. Why hadn't she just gone through her address book before she'd left then? She supposed it had something to do with her extremely impulsive nature. She felt much better actually doing something, and making phone calls wasn't enough action for her. She brought her gun everywhere she went for a reason.

"So River," Jack said a little more clearly, the effects of the alcohol clearly wearing off a little. "Would you like to accompany me back to my room? It's not too far from here?"

River was a little taken aback as Jack pointed towards what looked like a motel, just down a small street that looked even grimier than the rest of the planet. Was that some sort of sexual proposition? From what she knew of his reputation that wouldn't be too out there, but the Doctor had left her with the impression that Jack preferred life forms of the male variety.

She shook her head at the outrageous thought, because even in his state, she could tell that Jack had a great respect for the Doctor. Why else would he have agreed to find him so quickly? And her heart belonged only to her Doctor, no one else had any chance whatsoever. She followed him to the motel, ready to steady him at any moment, but happy to see that he didn't need it.

Jack fumbled for a key in the pocket of his long military style coat before opening the door and gesturing that she should go inside. She followed him up a staircase, wondering why Jack had chosen such a low class establishment. The Doctor had often said that Jack was a man of class, and this place was anything but classy. She could tell instantly that Jack was in a dark place, but perhaps it was worse than she'd thought

"So," Jack said, sitting on his mused bed. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

River didn't know how to answer that without sounding like a crazy person, though she probably already came across as pretty crazy. Then again, Jack had travelled with the Doctor, and working for Torchwood like she knew Jack did, there probably wasn't anything that would surprise him. She paced in front of the bed trying to figure out how she could explain while not sounding totally clueless.

"I need to find the Doctor," she said simply. "And I had a hunch that this was where I needed to be."

"So how did you meet the Doctor?" Jack asked, putting his hands in his pocket and swinging his feet back and forth. "I never imagined him being the marrying type."

River laughed in earnest because the Doctor always told her that he never saw himself as the marrying type until he met her. Technically he met her when she was a newborn, but she knew that wasn't what he was referring to. She hadn't thought of herself as the marrying type either, not until the first time she could remember meeting the Doctor , which also happened to be her first time in this body.

"As for the first question, I can't answer that," she said with a sigh.

"Why not?" Jack asked curiously.

"Spoilers," she said with a smile, loving the opportunity to use that word. She knew that the Jack sitting here with her must be from the past of the Doctor she was looking for. Jack probably wasn't even familiar with her husband's current regeneration. "As for the second question, he'd love to hear you ask that."

"So I don't suppose we should just call the Doctor?" Jack said, pulling what looked like a regular 21st century mobile phone out of his coat pocket.

"That was the first thing I tried," she snapped, pacing again. The room was very small and she was probably wearing a hole in the hideous green shag carpet, but she didn't care. The stark white walls were making her feel trapped, and she always felt better when she was doing something. The Doctor wasn't one for phones, even though he did have a number. He had people around the universe who would be willing to help him at a moment's notice, but the Doctor would never ask them.

There was one time she knew of that the Doctor had called in reinforcements, so to speak. It was just after she'd been born, when he'd hoped to rescue her mother and her infant self. Of course she hadn't known that at the time or she would never have been conditioned to kill the Doctor. When she had heard about it second hand, from her father, and later when she had participated herself, it had made her love the Doctor all the much more. He was never going to leave her behind or give up on her. Today she would do the same for him.

Perhaps those people who had come to help the Doctor when she was a baby could help her now. They'd certainly be more useful than Captain Jack Harkness. Jack was currently paying rapt attention to the screen of his mobile, occasionally pressing a few buttons. It was almost as if he'd forgotten that River was there.

"I thought you wanted to find the Doctor!" she snapped at him in frustration. Her fingers twitched towards her gun but she was capable of some self restraint. She may be a psychopath, but she didn't want to be rude, especially not to such an old friend of the Doctor's.

"Sorry, having a bad day," Jack said, snapping the phone shut and smiling at her. Captain Jack did have a magnetic smile that could melt even her cold and spoken for heart. "What's left of Torchwood is having trouble with a psychotic potato looking dwarf and I should have been helping. Even after I lost everything, I should still be saving people."

She admired his saving people thing, because it reminded her so strongly of her husband, but something else he had said stirred a faint memory in the back of her mind. _Potato dwarf_. Now why did that sound familiar? Then it hit her. The Sontarans! And she knew just the Sontaran she needed to go see.

"Get up Jack, I know exactly where we're going," she said, extended her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that it was snowing, which if she recalled correctly was uncommon for this planet. Then she heard something that sounded like whispers. She couldn't make much out but she was pretty sure she heard her name. The sound of it made her blood run cold and her hand twitch once again towards her gun. Yet she had no idea where the sound could be coming from. There was no living being in this room other than her and Jack.

She shook her head, convinced that she must be going crazy. She programmed the coordinates in her vortex manipulator and took Jack by the hand. She was surprised that he pulled away at her touch, but she held firm. She knew he had his own vortex manipulator but he was in no shape to be going anywhere solo. It shouldn't matter that she was hearing whispers, since they wouldn't be in that room much longer and River hoped to never come back. She would find her Doctor, she would comfort him in his time of need, and everything would be ok.

She felt a little uneasy and like a bit of a hypocrite after relying so heavily on her instincts to bring her here. There was nothing in the room, and if it was something invisible she would soon be leaving it, so she had no idea what she worried about. She wished, not for the first time, that she had a sonic screwdriver, since her husband seemed to be able to figure out everything with that gadget.

Still, as they disappeared into the ether, River couldn't help but stare at the snow, and she had no idea why.


	3. Psychotic Potato Dwarf

**Chapter 3: Psychotic Potato Dwarf **

They appeared in the middle of a deserted cobblestone street, with snow swirling around them. "This snow is going to ruin my hair," River muttered, brushing a bit of snow off her curly blonde locks. Jack was shivering, despite the fact that he was wearing a long warm looking coat. She checked the read out on her wrists and realized that they were in Victorian London. Jack might be able to blend in, but she definitely wasn't dressed appropriately, especially not with her skin tight pants. She longed for the extensive TARDIS wardrobe.

She heard the unmistakable clicking of hooves, and jumped out of the way, Jack close behind her. They could just stand around doing nothing and looking lost. "Wear exactly are we?" Jack asked, brushing the dust of his coat. "Or should I ask, when exactly are we?"

Asking when they were was a question utterly unique to time travel and she realized that Jack hadn't been asking very many questions. From what the Doctor had been telling about him, he had always been resourceful and inquisitive, one of the reasons he had been able to turn Torchwood around. Now he seemed like a man just along for the ride. She had just met him, but she could tell something was wrong.

"1892, London," she said carefully, suddenly worried that she would upset him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He was staring, not at her, but off into the distance behind her, his eyes narrowed. She turned around, expecting some threat, but saw nothing but a snowman. Sure it was crudely constructed, but walking towards it and studying it more closely, she saw nothing similar about it. But Jack seemed transfixed.

"Jack, what is it?" she said urgently, maybe a little too sharply.

He shook his head as if shaking off something unpleasant. "Nothing at all Doctor Song," he said smiling at her again. He still looked a bit disturbed, but took her hand and confidently led her to what looked like a nearby pub. "Perhaps I can buy you a pint?"

They stood in the doorway, and before she could answer, she heard a whoosh and a sharply pointed icicle fall, heading straight towards Jack's head. Without thinking, she pushed him out of the way and he landed hard on the ice, flat on his back. Losing her balance, she landed right on top of him. She didn't want to know what a proper Victorian would make of them if they were seen in such a compromising position.

"Not that I'm complaining about having a beautiful woman on top of me, but what was that for?" Jack asked breathlessly from beneath her. She scrambled to a feet and offered him a hand to help him up, feeling supremely awkward. Captain Jack Harkness was definitely a charmer, and she recognized so much of herself in him that she knew they would be great friends.

"Just trying to save your life," she shrugged, as if this was an everyday occurrence. For her, it kind of was.

He looked a bit glum at that, and River wasn't sure why. Even if he was embarrassed at being rescued by a girl or something ridiculous like that, most people weren't too upset about being saved. "I can't die," Jack said softly. "Long story that your husband obviously haven't shared but I've been shot, tabbed, fallen from great heights and lived over a hundred years. I can't die."

River could have sworn she heard him mumble even if I wanted to. This was something she hadn't seen before and that was saying something due to the number of things she had seen. She understood why her husband had never mentioned this. I normal human that couldn't die went against the laws of time and time was what the Doctor held dear. That and the Doctor could never do goodbyes properly.

She found that she didn't mind that aspect of her new friend, and she kind of liked it. With the loss of her parents so fresh and having experienced so much loss in her life, she liked the idea of having a friend that remained relatively constant. At the same time, she could understand why Jack was so upset about it. If she had to live an eternity without the Doctor, she wouldn't want to live an eternity either.

"How about I get you that drink," River said walking into the pub. Jack trailed behind her, but at least he was still following. The pub, which the sign outside said was called the Rose and Crown, looked warm and cozy, and exactly like you'd imagine a pub from the late 19th century would look. She noticed a few people staring at her as she walked in, probably because of her clothes.

Jack and River sat at a table in awkward silence. Although she liked to think they were fast friends, it wasn't entirely comfortable between them. When the barmaid came over to them, River thought that she looked a little familiar but she had no idea from where. The barmaid was quite pretty, with brown hair, brown eyes and a cute smile, bit River couldn't put her finger on where she'd seen her before.

"What will it be sir?" the barmaid said, her eyes lingering on Jack. "Miss?" she asked, although she didn't look at River at all. Either she was shocked by River's strange outfit, or more likely she was enthralled by Captain Jack, which happened to everyone, male and female, at least every now and again.

"What do you suggest?" River asked a little too coldly. She had no romantic interest in Jack at all, but she still didn't like this woman looking at him like that. The woman suggested a type of beer that she wasn't familiar with but River agreed, not wanting to stick out more than she already did. She was only doing this to be nice to Jack. If she was here alone she would have already found Strax the Sontaran by now. Regardless, she was glad Jack had agreed to come with her.

Their drinks arrived quickly and River immediately took a grateful sip. Jack hadn't touched his. "So, shouldn't be hard to find a man that looks like a potato, right?" Jack said jovially. He was sounding a lot more like the carefree daredevil that had been described to her.

It was true that a Sontaran would be easy to spot if he was going out in the open, especially here. Theoretically all they would have to do was ask around. "We just need to find someone who's seen a walking potato," River said with a smile. "Piece of cake."

Jack walked up to a group of three handsome young men in crisp black suits, more confidently than River had ever seen him. Maybe she would finally see the legendary Captain Jack Harkness in his element. "Hi, Captain Jack Harkness," he said, extended a hand to the nearest, and in River's opinion, cutest, of the three men. "And you look absolutely dashing."

The man blushed, not seeming to mind that Jack was obviously flirting even though that sort of thing wasn't widely accepted in the Victorian area. Captain Jack was absolutely magnetic. "William Wright," the man said, shaking Jack's hand and looking absolutely enthralled. River noticed that Jack had his other hand on this William Wright's knee. Very intimate for someone he'd just met.

"So Will, can I call you Will?" Jack said, leaning in, in a causal seductive way. Wright nodded eagerly "Have you seen a strange little man? Looks a bit like a potato? Bit aggressive and can't tell men and women apart?"

"Sorry I haven't," Wright said reflectively, looking disappointed.

"But I have Captain," one of the other men said, practically jumping from his seat. River giggled as she witnessed the effect Jack could have on people. "Comes in here all the time he doesn't, challenging people to fights then driving away in his carriage."

"That's perfect..." Jack trailed off, waiting for the man to supply his name.

"Charles sir," the man said eagerly, offering his hand, which Jack shook.

"Thanks Charles," Jack said with a smile. "I'll call you." Of course phones weren't ubiquitous yet and he hadn't asked for a number, but it was effective nonetheless.

"Come on River, let's go," Jack said forcefully. He seemed to have come out of that fog he was struggling with, and River was glad to see him acting so confidently. She followed even though she felt it might be better to just say here. She was just glad her companion didn't seem depressed anymore.

"That went well, don't you think?" Jack said confidently, leaning against the wall. He crossed his arms and looked down the street, as if waiting for Strax.

"Very good," River said with an approving nod. "But don't you think it would be better if we waited inside?" River shivered, not liking the snow. She wasn't really dressed for the winter. She waited for a moment, but Jack didn't answer.

He was staring off into the distance, as if in a daze. She waved a hand in front of his face, but he didn't even blink. It was as if he couldn't see her. She tried to follow where he was staring, and it was one of those creepy snowmen again. This one looked as if it were sneering, and although it was a ridiculous thought, it looked like it was staring straight at them.

"Jack!" she said a little louder. If he kept this up, she would have to slap him or something.

He shook his head again, as if brushing of a fly. His eyes were clear now and he was looking right a her instead of staring off into the distance. "Just a bit freaked out by snowmen," he said with a shrug.

She was going to ask him what he meant by that, since it was so strange, but her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of hoof beats. Even from this distance they could tell that the driver of the carriage was small and brown skinned with a large, strangely shaped round head. That carriage definitely wasn't driven by a human. It appeared that their psychotic potato headed dwarf made an appearance at last.


End file.
